Jazz Jackrabbit is a side-scrolling platformer released for MS-DOS by Epic MegaGames on 1 August 1994. Arjan Brussee coded it and Cliff Bleszinski designed it; Robert A. Allen wrote the music, which runs on an interactive system called the Cybersound Music System, and Mark Rein and Tim Sweeney produced the game.
The story borrows from Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare: the evil tortoise Devan Shell conquers planets and kidnaps Eva Earlong, the princess of Carrotus. At first many saw the game as a PC answer to Sonic the Hedgehog. Its play is close to Zool, but Jazz cannot defeat enemies by jumping on them; that move only arrived in the sequel.
The shareware original was followed in November 1994 by a CD edition with three Lost Episodes and by two Holiday Hare Christmas editions. Jazz Jackrabbit 2 came out in 1998 and a Game Boy Advance reboot in 2002. On 30 November 2017 GOG.com re-released the game together with its sequel for Windows, macOS and Linux.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WW | Jazz JackrabbitShareware release; the full game has six episodes of three planets each. | MS-DOS | Aug 1, 1994 | Epic MegaGames | 1 |
| WW | Jazz Jackrabbit CDAdds the Lost Episodes A, B and C. | MS-DOS | Nov 28, 1994 | Epic MegaGames | 1 |
| WW | Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1994Shareware Christmas edition with a three-level holiday episode. | MS-DOS | Dec 15, 1994 | Epic MegaGames | 1 |
| WW | Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1995Shareware edition with two new holiday planets. | MS-DOS | Nov 17, 1995 | Epic MegaGames | 1 |
| WW | Jazz Jackrabbit CollectionGOG.com re-release (runs in DOSBox) together with Jazz Jackrabbit 2; Windows, macOS and Linux. Contains the CD-ROM version and Holiday Hare '95. | Windows | Nov 30, 2017 | — | 1 |
Also known as: Jazz Jackrabbit CD WW1Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1994 WW1Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1995 WW1
Box art by region
NA Jazz Jackrabbit
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
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ContentJazz Jackrabbit CD
The original has six episodes of three planets each. The CD edition adds three Lost Episodes (A, B and C), and later CD pressings also include the Holiday Hare episode as episode X, for ten episodes in total.1
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ContentHoliday Hare 1994Holiday Hare 1995
The Holiday Hare shareware editions are separate Christmas releases: the 1994 one has a three-level holiday episode, the 1995 one two new holiday planets.1
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ContentJazz Jackrabbit CD
Lost Episode C hides a secret level in which Jazz becomes a lizard.1
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
How to run it today
The GOG.com edition comes packaged with DOSBox, is DRM-free and is verified on Windows 10 and 11; it also runs on macOS and Linux. A November 2024 update fixed the Gravis Ultrasound sound setup.
Best version
The GOG.com collection contains the most complete CD-ROM version, with the Lost Episodes, plus Holiday Hare '95.3
Reception
Jazz Jackrabbit never matched the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog, but its fast gameplay and advanced graphics won it a sizable audience, and its success helped launch Cliff Bleszinski's career.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.